Regular readers of Law Technology News "Ball in Your Court" e-discovery column might be a bit surprised to find Austin, Texas-based lawyer/forensics expert Craig Ball encouraging firms to image drives without outside help. But Ball is all about demystifying electronic data discovery, and in some cases, he says, imaging can be done with minimum risk.

"If the person doing the work does it capably, documents a reasonable chain of custody, and verifies the image by hashing, I see no reason why you would need to outsource forensic imaging for preservation," says Ball in the June issue of LTN. "When all goes well, it's a simple task. In those rare instances where it doesn't, you bring in an expert. Forensic analysis is a wholly different situation; but single drive imaging is (and should be) a ministerial task when performed by a reasonably competent person in a sensible way."